Refractive Index: 1.55 [3]
Clearing Time: Rapid – days [3]
Type: Non-aqueous [3]
IHC: Compatible with immunohistochemistry [3]
FP: Quenches fluorescent protein [3]
Tissue Morphology: Tissue shrinkage [3]
Carcinogenicity: Yes [3]
Difficulty: Easy-to-use [3]
Overview
BABB is an abbreviation for Benzyl Alcohol/ Benzyl Benzoate whereas the solution is comprised of two parts benzyl benzoate and one part benzyl alcohol [1]. BABB has been used as an optical clearing agent for decades and works very well for many applications such as the clearing of bones [2]. BABB is compatible with immunolabeling and clears tissues quickly, but quenches fluorescent proteins.
While BABB is a very rapid tissue clearing technique, it will cause tissues to shrink and can damage microscope lenses. Leica has though developed a 20x objective specifically for use with BABB (Leica BABB Objective). Tissues that are been left in BABB for too long will eventually become brittle and fall apart.
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BABB in Publications
- Functional imaging in bulk tissue specimens using optical emission tomography: fluorescence preservation during optical clearing
- Optimal clearing and mounting media for confocal microscopy of thick specimens
- Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Morphology and Apoptosis in Organogenesis-Stage Mouse Embryos
- Subgross breast pathology in the twenty-first century
- Confocal imaging of the embryonic heart: how deep?
- Ultramicroscopy: three-dimensional visualization of neuronal networks in the whole mouse brain
- Whole-body and Whole-Organ Clearing and Imaging Techniques with Single-Cell Resolution: Toward Organism-Level Systems Biology in Mammals
- Clearing and Labeling Techniques for Large-Scale Biological Tissues
- Preparation of wholemount mouse intestine for high-resolution three-dimensional imaging using two-photon microscopy